Of Plans and Siblings

Evernae sat in that dark place on the edge of life and death,.. he had never grown accustomed to it in all his dealings with the her.. He shivered into his robes, watching her as she watched him.. And finally found the courage to speak... "I need some Answers.." He said slowly, never quite sure how to proceed around the woman, She didn't look her part, never had.. and that was what troubled him most.. Aside from the black robes that covered her smooth figure, she was not what he would have expected of a dark being.. Sometimes she was even pleasant for company, but he wondered how much of that was part of her web..

"I know..." She said quietly, the slender fingers of one hand caressing the soft silver curves of a simple vial.. The other placing a bowl to the table's darkened surface.. Evernae rather thought the wood was simple in nature, but the stain that seemed to hold those dark patterns were undoubtedly caused by blood.. She lifted her gaze to meet his, with an almost angelic smile.. "Galentine is dead,... by the same hand which struck down Orlin.."

He rocked back from her with that answer,.. blinking as if she had slapped him in the face.. What could this mean?.. Was it some new faction he had never heard of before?.. Was he the next one to fall to this unknown organization's hand?.. His tired gaze rose to peer into her eyes, and she returned the stare. The Elder was not sure what he expected from her, but certainly not the laughter that followed his obvious change in expression..

"You can rest easy Evernae,.." She smirked,.. sliding the vial toward him, "It was the woman.. not some phantom group..."

"Fallashay Everscei?," Evernae almost choked on his own shock.. That slip of a girl did this?.. Killed the chancellor,.. and Galentine?.. Did she have her own ambitions.. her own plan?.. "To what end?.."

"It would appear that she was simply trying to escape.." She answered with a shrug.. "Your mind tends to jump to conclusions Third Seat,.. conspiracies and dark plots... Really quite pleasant actually, but.. you should watch yourself Evernae, you are not as young as you used to be.."

"What then?.. this whole mess is an accident!?.." He scowled spitting out the words with a rasping hiss and a shake of his head.. "How could we possibly proceed?.."

"You accept defeat too soon Brother dear... There is a benefit that has come from these occurrences..." She regarded him from the depths of shadow.. a simple smile touching her rose colored lips... "First, Chancellor Orlin is out of the way..."

"Yes, but without Galentine that is useless,.. the people will vote in whomever they want... Unless we get the girl and manage some how to convince the council that You or I should be her benefactor.." He frowned darkly,.. Galentine was best suited for that part. He could have sired a child with the woman,.. could have convincingly forced a wedding without anyone questioning the act.. Evernae certainly did not want to end up dead like the others "What makes you think we have lost Galentine?.." She questioned, a honey colored brow lifting slightly in response..

"You said he was dead.." Evernae blinked.. his brow furrowed as he glanced to the vial.. "Yes... I did,.. didn't I?.." She had a nasty habit of raising his ire, but He was indentured to her, had little choice in the matter, and both of them knew it... Payment through blood.. "We can summon him back to this realm,.. and... Unlike before.. Control his every action... with this.."

He glanced to the vial once more as she indicated it with a wave of her hand.. "And the Girl?." "She is no longer a deciding factor.. With Orlin Dead, and Galentine's influence under our control,.. we could Take the Barony seat by Vote alone, Blood is no longer an issue... And, brother... We will have the puppet we always wanted in power..." Her silvery laughter seemed to send chills through him, but Evernae could not deny that he enjoyed the possibilities...

"The rest of the council knows that she is from the Everscei Family, won't that be a problem?,.. won't Storic or one of the other Seats demand a search..?.." He asked with a slight blink...

"Not if she is dead..." The answer was something he had expected, though he winced inwardly every time she called him brother.. ever since she had begun to work within the dark folds of her mysterious art he had lost his sister, an in her place was someone else..

"How will we bring Galentine back?... Is there anything I should do?.."

"Of course you can do something,.. Keep things orderly within the city. Leave Galentine to me.. Oh,.. and find that girl- have her slain.." Her eyes held no emotion within them as she rose slowly, taking the vial in the wake of that simple motion..

"Me?.. I can't do something like that,.. it would compromise my position on the council..." He stammered.. stiffly pushing up from his chair with a wince..

"Oh?.. Galantine has done such things for years,.. and he is allowed to sit on the council.." She paused tracing his face with her eyes, then sighed... "Make her disappear,.. I do not care how, but I do not want the name Everscei spoken again... I will.. see.. to any bodies that may be required due to your lack of spine.."

"Thank you Sister..".. Numbly he strode from the room in as much a rush as his old bones could manage.. He knew that he had just crossed a line,.. saw some glimpse of his sister in that cold being that had ordered him to kill.. Evernae just wasn't sure if his refusal would come back to haunt him.. When dealing with the darker side of her nature the end result could be timeless, eternal.. and filled with suffering..